in d.c. >> the people united will never be divided. ♪ going to rise like the water ♪ free our families now we care, we care, we care. >> good morning, and welcome to a.m. joy live from washington, d.c. this week, as a federal judge ordered the trump administration to reunite thousands of migrant children separated from their parents by the department of homeland security, protests have erupted around the country. all leading up to today. expected to be the largest day of protests thus far in this crisis of the administration's making. today, thousands of americans in more than 600 cities will take to the streets. the goal of today's belong together marches is to demand an end to trump's zero tolerance immigration policy, to call for migrant families to be reunited immediately, and to send a message to donald trump that

detention of of migrant families should be taken off the table. but even facing the added pressure of a court-imposed 30-day deadline to reunite families, with no clear plan, it's unclear how exactly the trump administration will comply. time may not be on their side, meanwhile. the administration says that as of tuesday, 2,047 separated children are still in government custody. only 6 fewer than last week. joining me now is garrett haake on the ground in d.c. just to warn everyone, there is a little bit of delay between myself and garrett. garrett, i'll start by asking you, what are you expecting to see today? have you started to speak to the folks who are trickling in to begin participating in the rally? >> reporter: hey, joy. guilty or n good morning. we're about 200 yards from the white house and while the president isn't here today, it's going to be hard for him to ignore these pictures. we expect to see a massive rally

here in d.c. organizers say that could get as many as 50,000 people here in the streets around the white house, marching through downtown d.c. on this issue. now, there are bold-faced names involved in this particular protest today, not that you might see in some of these others across the country. we expect to see lin-manuel miranda here, alicia keys expected to participate, but i think what's going to draw a lot of attention today are hearing from some of these immigrant families, in some cases even through translators. it will be the first time the nation has gotten to see these families on such a big stage. we're still more than an hour from this really getting under way. folks are fired up about this issue and have been for weeks and i think that's really important. there was that protest on thursday in the hart senate office building that had it not been for the shooting in

annapolis i think could have been one of the biggest stories this week. you saw 500 people get arrested, including at least one member of congress. it speaks to just how fired up people continue to be about this issue and frankly, i think, how little faith they have that the court injunctions, the executive orders, and the steps that have been taken politically so far will be enough. these people want to see a lot more get done here, joy. >> garrett haake, thank you very much. we are going to come back to you periodically to check in with you to see what you're seeing out there on the ground here in washington, d.c. thank you very much. appreciate it. joining me now here in the studio, maria, president and ceo of voto latino. senior adviser from move on.org and nbc correspondent joining us from l.a. thank you for being here. i'm going to start at the table. maria, we know what the demands are, to end the family detentions, to end the zero tolerance policy, to reunite the families. how disturbing is it for you to learn that the administration has so far managed to reunite exact exactly 6 out of more than 2,050

children. >> i think they did the photo op and figured after they did the photo op of the six children and the six family reunifications, they wouldn't have to do it again. let's be clear. industry, organizations have all come together trying to figure out how can they find a database, how can they create reunification. the government can do that tomorrow. if we demand a hearing, oversight hearing for nielsen, sessions, scott lloyd, saying where are the children, where are unifications, all of this is done through government contracts. there are government databases that have both the parents and the children, but we're not asking them to actually come over and do an oversight hearing. congress has to be responsible to the american public and we're not demanding that they do their job. >> you've had 18 states sue the trump administration over these family separation policies, because even the states are not able to get information about migrants who were in their state, who are in the custody of

hhs and npr says a federal judge has told hem you hathem you hav reunite families. you have all this legal maneuvering taking place but there's no evidence that i've seen that the administration has a plan to reunite these kids. >> there was never a plan. that's the point. the point was to do this horrible, inhumane act, and not care about reunifying them ever, and here's the thing. there's a report that came out, i believe, yesterday, that there could be more than 2,000 kids that have been separated from their parents. apparently they were doing this as a pilot program, the government was doing this as a pilot program in texas months prior to when it became official. so they were doing it, i think, from october to february, so there could be 4,100 is what i read in the report that could be separated and they have the to -- and from the courts, they have to reunify them by july 26th.

how can they possibly do that if there is no plan and we don't know where the kids are, we don't know where the babies are, we don't know where the girls are. we have no idea of what's going on. >> joy, something that most americans don't realize is that after a certain time, the child is with the -- with the government, then they get tracked into foster care. once they are tracked into foster care, the parent, by legal right, loses the right to their child. >> right. they lose their own parental rights and they have to petition just like any other petitioner. >> and many of the parents have been deported already. >> i want to go to mariana because some of the parents have already pleaded guilty to unlawful entry meaning now, when they're petitioning to get custody of the child, on their record is pleading guilty to a crime and i know you've talked to a lot of parents that were separated from their children. do you get the sense that the parents believe that the government even knows where their children are? >> it's devastating, joy, and i think the outrage for many of the parents i have spoken to is

that they do believe the government has the information. they're just reluctant to give it out. meanwhile, you have these immigrants who have been released from these detention centers who don't speak english, don't have any of their belongings. they're trying to get somewhere and some help to be able to be reunified with their children. i spoke to maria, for example, she's an immigrant from el salvador who came here with the migrant caravan, meaning she turned herself legally at a port of entry seeking asylum. she was kept at the detention center for weeks. her little boy, marcus, is 7. she has a 2-year-old named nelson. she knows they're somewhere in new york. she has just been released and is trying to make her way to them but she says the government told her that she has to provide dna proof that she's the mother, more documents. things that were actually taken from her in detention, so just hearing from this mother is absolutely devastating, and an

example of what these families are going through. i spoke to a lawyer in brownsville who's representing a man from guatemala trying to get reunified with his 12-year-old daughter, and she told me that she calls the caseworker, and she knows that they have the information for both because the parent's information is on a dhs track. the kid's information is on an orr track, but they're just reluctant to give it out. so, it's really just proof that there seems to be no plan, no consistency, and no relief for these families. the people from the texas civil rights project told me that they represent almost 400 families and they've only been able to confirm 4 reunifications and in fact 5 people who already have been deported without their children. and there's no relief for them in that injunction. >> oh, my goodness. you know, maria, so not only do you have the parents who, as,

you know, point that she made, they're tracked into a department of homeland security system. the children are tracked through the office of refugee resettlement so tracked in two different directions. >> in two different agencies and that is the challenge. that's the challenge. >> so hhs, their involvement has to be safety of the child. so, then they're going and investigating the parent or if there is a custodial aunt or something, they're saying, give us your fingerprints, tell us your papers so they're also putting people in jeopardy of themselves tracking for deportation. >> exactly. what the -- the challenge is that we're not getting a straight answer from any of the heads of the government agencies. they have no plan, they don't seem to care. the american people, again, not to drive home the point, when the american people say that they want to help, the best way they can help is call their m z members of congress and demand an oversight hearing. this is outrageous. we have to make sure these children are reunified and a lot of these children are getting separated from their parents

over a misdemeanor charge. it's a misdemeanor to cross the border. >> can we play this vice audio? you talk about it and it's theoretical and horrifying to think about but when you hear the voices of these distraught children, it's hard to listen to but i feel like we need to confront i. this confront it. this is a little boy talking to his mom. his mom is from guatemala and he has been -- they've been separated from one another and vice news recorded audio of their phone call. take a listen. [ speaking foreign language ]

>> and i'm sitting here on the set with two mothers of very young children. you know, my children are, you know, basically adults at this point. but even for me, i just take myself right back to them as that little boy, and it's -- and do i have to play to juxtapose that for our audience, just so you understand the mentality of the people we're dealing with. this is the attorney general of the united states, jeff sessions, who i wonder if he's moved when he hears that audio, when i hear this audio of him. >> the rhetoric we hear from the other side on this issue has become radicalized. these same people live in gated communities, many of them, and if you try to scale the fence,

believe me, they'll be even too happy to have you arrested and separated from your children. they would like to see that. so they want borders in their lives but not in yours. >> karine, when i lived in florida, my kids and i lived in a gated community, if someone had come and taken one of them, i don't understand that. i'm sorry, i don't. >> we've talked about this, joy, which is the dehumanization of a group of people. we've seen this in the past and this is what's happening. when you do that and you hear the way he's speaking, sessions is speaking, you feel like you can do anything to groups of people. you can treat them like animals, as the president has called. he's called them infestations. so, it is really sad because it is a -- it is a way of taking people's rights. when you were playing the vice tape there, the video, it made me think about earlier in the week there was a young boy who was separated from his family,

taken to new york, and he tried to jump out of a two-story building because he was so devastated and heartbroken and so there's also two part to what's happening today. yes, it's demanding that we bring these families back together, but there's also part of, if they are brought back together, what does this administration want to do? they want to detain them permanently, which we cannot have either. >> right, so during the obama administration, we had similar problems of families facing a refugee crisis, and what they did is they put ankle bracelets and they released them and they'd have to come in and check in. >> it worked. >> it was a program with basically 90% efficacy. they were able to resolve whether the person was here seeking asylum or they had to be deported. what we're doing is inhumane and costs billions of dollars. >> now they're going to build detention camps. last word to you, because you have a trump administration plan that they say is going to fix this by essentially saying that anyone who enters the country

illegally would be barred from getting asylum, no matter what they we fleeing, gang violence, war, it doesn't matter what they're fleeing, if they are convicted of illegal entry, they would be prevented, prosecuted, and would immediately be denied asylum period. your thoughts? >> they're not making it easy for these families to do this the right way, joy. we have been reporting for the past week in arizona, in that border, they are keeping dozens and dozens of families with little babies outso in the blazg shot s hot sun waiting for an average of two weeks trying to seek asylum the right way. what do you think a mother, who is 21 years old who has been harass and had beaten and raped by some of the same smugglers that are bringing her over and is carrying a young child, what do you think she will be tempted or told to do after she's been waiting on the other side for two weeks?

to come in through a port of entry of just to try to come in any way she can because she's so desperate. they're not making it easy for these families and now that will mean they will automatically get prosecuted. so when the messaging coming from this administration, you had mike pence and nielsen in guatemala this week saying you want to come to the united states? do it legally. or don't come at all. they're making it nearly impossible for these people to come here legally. and if they don't do it, they'll bet prosecuted. >> last question, very quickly. i know we're out of time. just from your reporting, is the administration indeed -- have they stopped separating families? >> i have not heard of any recent separations after the executive order. but what i do keep hearing is of people being detained, being stuck at ports of entry. what i do keep hearing is people who try to seek asylum legally being placed with ankle

monitors, being separated for short periods of time from their children inside detention, which is a form of dehumanization, which is a form of criminalizing these people who have an international right to seek asylum. just as your round table was discussing, when they talk about an infestation, when they talk about these hoards that are coming, it dehumanizes all of us, the legal immigrants like myself who are here and the undocumented immigrants and the ones who are coming with every right to seek asylum the right way and seek a better life for their children. joy? >> thank you, mariana, thank you for reporting. maria teresa and karine and mariana will be back later. the government still has no idea how they're going to are reunite all of these thousands of migrant children with their parents who they took them from and things are about to get worse. worse. we'll discuss when we come back. this is important for people with asthma.

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what about the injunction on immigration? will you fight that, the california judge who reunited families must be put together? >> we're going to see but we believe that families should be together also. so there's not a lot to fight. we believe families have to be together. but what we really do is we believe in very strong borders, no crime, and the democrats

believe in open borders and plenty of crime, because that's what you get with the open borders. >> well, it is still unclear how the government will comply with the federal judge's order to reunite migrant children already separated from their parents. the trump administration has less than a month to reunite the families, and less than two weeks for children under five. but in a court filing overnight, the trump administration argues that the order actually means that it can detain immigrant families until their cases are complete, meaning families, even if they're reunited, could spend months or even years, years in detention. meanwhile, the trump administration claims to know where all the children who have been separated are being held. >> there is no reason why any parent would not know where their child is located. i could, at the stroke of -- at key strokes, i've sat on the o.r.r. portal with just basic key strokes, within seconds, could find any child in our care for any parent. it's available. it's right there. >> mr. secretary, suffice it to say, portals are not part of the

daily existence -- >> that's why we have -- >> joining me now is congresswoman pramila and laura pena, former i.c.e. assistant chief counsel. congresswoman, i want to start with a very basic question. congress has oversight responsibilities that are in play here. as a member of congress, are you able to get access to information on where these 2,400 children are? >> no and that terrifies me because we have sent letters, we've been on the phone and in fact they told us, i.c.e. told us, told my staffer, that they have spreadsheets that they can try to go into and try to pull up the information, but they don't actually have a place where it comes together and they're not sure exactly what information is there. when i was at the federal prison, joy, a couple of weeks ago, three weeks ago, met with the women, they showed me these slips of paper that i.c.e. had given them. they had the name of the woman, the a-number, the identification number within the immigration system, and supposedly her children that were listed on that slip of paper, except she

said, these are not my children. so i am really terrified and i believe -- i have reason to believe that the administration knows where these children are, but they can't match up children with parents. and that there is no system, no database, no spreadsheet that is allowing them to do that. on top of that, we are now hearing stories of how parents are being forced to apply to get their children back as if these are children that they are adopting, you know, taking into foster care, they're being required to show means testing. they're being required to actually say that they are christian in some cases. >> okay, wait. let's stop right there. they're required to show their income. >> correct. >> assuming these are many destitute people who probably spent their entire life savings to get to the united states, they're being asked to prove they're christian? >> they're being asked if they're christian and on the website of one of the largest agencies, it says, you must be a christian to take these children. so, these women, you know, some of them are christians, so

they're answering perfectly fine. but as a member of the united states congress, i am outraged that we are putting these women through this and there should be no religious test for getting your child back. >> isn't this a fundamental first amendment violation to test someone's religion in order to get their own custody of their own child? >> i believe so. and we are now getting more information from the agency. we're finding out kpanexactly w is the requirement. what would have happened if that mother who was asked this question, what would have happened if she had said no and are we doing this for agencies that require people to be muslims, jews, other religions? federal funding should not be tied to a religious test but even more basic than that, come on. a mother should be able to get her child back. that is the issue, and i have deep concern that we're going to see a lot of kids who are not reunited with their parents because the parents can't go through these hoops and hurdles and tests just to get their own child back. this mother that i'm talking about has a birth certificate. so, this is not a question of,

you know, she doesn't know -- they can't prove that she's the parent of this child. and it terrifies me, and it terrifies these women, i'll tell you, when i talked to the women in the federal prison, they said to me, am i going to get my child back? through tears, weeping, sobbing, i haven't seen my child in over a month. can i get my child back? and you know, we've been saying yes, but i have deep fear that the administration has no plans and there are some documents released that show that the administration has no plans around how to reunify these kids with their parents. >> a lot of people have been expressing a concern and we talked about this a little bit last week when we were in el paso, that there are these sort of christian. >> based agencies getting involved who also provide adoption services. is there a concern among members of the united states congress that parents who don't get their child back will be put up for adoption. >> what we need to look at is what are these agencies being told? i have no problem with them

being able to help us in this situation, they are set up to do this on some level, but they can't use the same test that they would use if they're getting private funding. this is government funtding going to help these kids get back together with their parents. they should not be thrown into the foster care system, into the adoption system. they should be separately processed quickly and that is, you know, this so-called sham executive order that the president signed did nothing to actually reunite these kids with their parents, but on top of that, as you said, allows for indefinite family imprisonment. there is no one who thinks that the solution to family separation is family imprisonment. >> is indefinite detention, as sort of a gitmo for immigrant parents. let me go to laura. it does sound like the administration, even if it has the intention to comply, is not functionally capable of complying. administration officials have been unwilling to say whether they collected information necessary to are reunite parents with children before separating them. they will not say whether more

children have been taken from their families since president trump signed an order, more like a memo. the associate press says the department of hhs is conducting an audit of the migrant children of about 12,000 migrant children in federal care to determine who might be covered by this ruling, and as a result, the number of children separated from their parents could actually be larger than the 2,000. i.c.e. is obviously not in the business of family reunification. it's not business of arresting people. so, the fact that i.c.e. is the primary organization that's involved in this, does that disturb you as a former chief counsel to the agency? >> you know, i would disagree with one point that you made, joy. the government is functionally capable to do this work. and i saw, as an i.c.e. trial attorney, during the 2014 border surge, we worked closely with the immigration courts and with hhs at that time to make sure that mothers and children who were crossing the border were

kept together, and what we're seeing now is that they're being forcibly separated. in 2014, i appeared in court, and a 6-month-old accidentally had to appear in court apart from the mother. the judge then was furious about the accidental administrative separation. what we are seeing now are children being required to appear in immigration court alone. as we know, there's no right to a government-appointed attorney for these children so who is representing their interests? it's really -- it's really difficult, but the government does have the capability and i've witnessed them be able to turn on a dime when required by judges or by congress, so i'm grateful for the work that the congresswoman is doing, and that thousands of advocacy organizations are doing on the ground and showing up today. >> and laura, very quickly, if they're capable of doing it, can you speculate, do you have any idea why they are aren't doing it? >> so the -- i would say the

parents and the children have been put on two separate roller coasters and it takes the will of the individuals at the top, in the white house, the secretaries of the agencies, to make sure that they are expressing the message clearly that they must follow this judicial order, and they're not doing it. the president is bashing the order requiring reunification of the families, so you have mothers, parents, who are already being given orders of removal, whose asylum claims are being denied and they're being asked, do you want to be deported with your child back to the violence that you fled? or do you want to leave your child in government custody, potentially never being able to say good-bye to your child? it's the ultimate sophie's choice. and that's why i'm speaking out against the administration and its policies. >> we're going have you both back. congresswoman, if hearings

happen, will you please let us know if there are going to be hearings on this. >> i will but i will just say that the chairman of the judiciary committee has refused to hearings on this. he has now -- we are in this position where we have to just try to take over any hearing that we have to talk about these issues as we did with rod rosenstein the other day. >> i bet they'd do more hearings on her e-mails. >> yes, they are. every day. many hours. >> congresswoman, laura, thank you very much for being here. up next, trump is about to pick his supreme court nominee. democrats are trying to figure out how to stop it. we'll discuss.

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written by justice anthony kennedy, this is a total victory. >> it's justice kennedy who's been the decisive voice, affirming gay rights under the constitution. >> those cases will be his legacy. >> one, two, three, four. >> justice anthony kennedy said the state may not enter the private realm of family life. >> the supreme court has upheld the affirmative action program at the university of texas in an opinion written by justice anthony kennedy. >> donald trump's core supporters have despised, even vilified supreme court justice anthony kennedy for sometimes siding with his liberal colleagues on rulings that transformed american life but his retirement grants the trump base the biggest gift of all, a

chance for trump to fill a second supreme court vaks. according to "the new york times," the white house waged a, quote, quiet campaign to ensure that trump fulfill one of his most important campaign promises to his conservative followers. that he would change the complexion and direction of the supreme court. joining me now is david cole of the aclu. cherylen of the naacp, tom, supreme court contributor for msnbc, and venita gupta. i'll warn our audience that venita is at a camera very near the march and there's a slight delay on her camera. i'm going to start here at the table and i'm going to start with you on this. on the idea that this president is poised to put a second person on the court who could, in theory, be on the court for the rest of our lives. >> i mean, i think what's

alarming is we're treating this almost as business as usual, and it's not business as usual. in fact, i heard senator mcconnell, the infamous senator mitch mcconnell, who refused to offer a hearing to president obama's nominee, mr. garland, on the theory that it was an election year, more than 200 days before the election, but yesterday was saying we should plow ahead with this because normal. it's not normal. it's not normal not only because we have a midterm election that is imminent. it's not normal because we have a president that is under the cloud of a criminal investigation. we don't know what's going to happen with the mueller investigation. try to imagine if the president nominates someone who is confirmed and the mueller investigation reveals the president was implicated in issues around criminality and his campaign. this is the moment to hit the pause button. there should be no vote this year. this should wait until at least january, and i think it's shocking that people have gone on to assessing the various

candidates and behaving as though we are in normal posture. we are not in a normal posture and neither is this president. >> i think that's what gets me too, david. "the new york times," everybody is out with the list and everybody's going through the nominees but we -- i mean, there is a -- i believe it is the rule that a president cannot pardon himself while being impeached. right? if impeached, he couldn't pardon himself. we don't know whether the president can pardon himself but we certainly know that the body that could decide whether a president could pardon himself for crimes is the supreme court. so this president is in a position where he could place the fifth guaranteed vote for himself on the court and people are acting as if this is perfectly fine. >> no, i think that's right. and we have the head of the senate who said last time around, let the people decide. we're in the same situation. let the people decide. let's wait until there's a midterm. let's see what the senate looks like at that point, and i think, you know, to me, the key is that

president -- justice kennedy was who kept the supreme court within somewhere within the mainstream of american society. if trump gets to appoint another rigid, right wing ideologue, the court will be far to the right of the country for a generation to come. and that, to me, that's the key issue. we ought to be thinking about what role this justice is going to play in keeping the supreme court within the mainstream of american society. >> and venita gupta, you have a country in which somebody tweeted this week that you could foresee a circumstance where democrats consistently win the popular vote, even if they're not awarded the presidency, but the supreme court governs as if the country is far, far, far to the right as it is, and that means for the foreseeable future, a court way to the right of the american people, and this is sort of being done as if it is completely and perfectly

normal. >> no, that's right. look. you should see the energy out here. this rally hasn't even started and the grassroots energy that is boiling across america, the same grassroots energy that saved health care a year ago when we didn't believe it was possible. the same grassroots energy that is out here today to demand that families be kept together is the same energy that is only going to grow and grow against the increased right wing overtake of our supreme court. we can't allow it to happen. everything is at stake. access to health care, access to civil rights, access to reproductive freedom and women's ability to control our bodies. everything is at stake right now. >> and you know, tom goldstein, everything is at stake, much of which kennedy was the swing vote for, things like affirmative action, things that are sort of hanging in the balance in part because he was there. he had some pretty terrible rulings. this week, he ruled in favor of some things that were disturbing like the muslim ban but i am kind of a little obsessed and fascinated in a negative way with the courting of kennedy,

with the way he was plied by the administration, by placing people who were his former clerks into judgeships to reassure him that it was fine to step down and give donald trump this gift he's given him. i think his legacy is that he gave donald trump this. and when you then find out, according to this piece in "the new york times," that donald trump, moments before his first address to congress, in february of 2017, paused to chat with justice kennedy. say hello to your boy, trump said. special guy. trump was apparently referring to justice kennedy's son, justin. the younger mr. kennedy spent more than a decade at deutsche bank, rising to become the head of global real estate capital markets and he worked closely with trump. during mr. kennedy's tenure, deutsche bank became trump's most important lender, dispensing well over $1 billion in loans to him for the renovation and construction of skyscrapers in new york and

chicago at a time other mainstream banks were wary of doing business with him because of his troubled business history. this is also written up in "vanity fair" about the ways in which he was courted. this also becomes kennedy's legacy. how did we not know that kennedy's son was doing business with donald trump? >> well, we just don't know the identities of each of the individual bankers at the banks that trump has used. there's no, to be perfectly candid, there's no evidence that there's some improper relationship, that it's absolutely the case that trump and trump's family knew kennedy's son, but beyond that, there hasn't been anything to suggest that something wrong happened here. it's true that the administration tried to induce justice kennedy to leave because they wanted to replace him and that's happened through our history where presidents try to send signals that justices should leave. the obama administration would have loved ruth bader ginsburg to leave the court. it worked here.

justice kennedy was persuaded and it's going to change the complexion of the supreme court and american life. >> it's going to change the complexion of the supreme court and american life. let's go through the ways in which it could. it is very clear that the religious right -- i think the washingt"washington examiner" c with something that said yes, overturn roe. jeffrey toobin said in 18 months, roe is dead. >> trump has outsourced the selection of his lists to the federalist society. and the federalist society has had an agenda about what makes a good justice for them. it's someone who's young enough to be on the court for a long time. david referred to the generations to come. absolutely. roe versus wade is the ultimate litmus test, whether this person would overturn roe versus wade and we know these 5-4 decisions that kennedy was a part of. we know about affirmative action and disparate impact.

we know about marriage equality and these ways in which kennedy was central because his vote was in play. he was a conservative, but his vote was in play and david knows this, that when you, as a civil rights advocate, went before the supreme court, you were hoping to swing kennedy. sometimes you didn't. shelby. sometimes you did. so that's going to be off the table. there won't be a vote in play and roe versus wade stands at the top of the list, the aca, the all of the civil rights issues that we care about and that we work so hard on are going to be in the balance. >> and i know we're out of time but republicans were promising to hold that supreme court seat open if hillary clinton had won for four years. not just -- for four years, they said they'd keep it open. is there a way for democrats to hold it open until, i don't know, at least the end of the year? >> i think that it's 50-49 in the senate so if all the democrats stick together and you get one republican who expresses

concern about the pick, then there's a possibility. but that's a big lift. >> those are two big ifs. democrats sticking together and getting any republican to go against the prime directive of their base, which is overturn roe v. wade. it is the reason the evangelical right votes. it is the prime directive. people should be worried. i wish we had more time. we have much more ahead inside the tent cities where migrant children are being held by the trump administration. back in a minute. r: as you grow, your brain naturally begins to change which may cause trouble with recall. - learning from him is great... when i can keep up! - anncr: thankfully, prevagen helps your brain and improves memory. - dad's got all the answers. - anncr: prevagen is now the number-one-selling brain health supplement in drug stores nationwide. - she outsmarts me every single time. - checkmate! you wanna play again? - anncr: prevagen. healthier brain. better life.

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we're back at nbc's cal perry is in el paso, texas, at the families belong together rally there. cal, what are you seeing? >> reporter: so you can see it happening all around me, they are about to push off from here, folks will walk to the foot bridge which is about a mile away, the foot bridge that connects el paso from the city of juarez. this is a community that is very integrated with their neighbors to the south, this is a community that is very, very stressed out about the situation that you and i saw in that camp in terio, texas. 326 children there still unable to find their way really stuck on this government compound in the middle of the desert. at least 23 of them were separated from their parents.

no update from the government. when you talk to people here, that's one of the things that they are most upset about is that we just don't know where these children are being held oftentimes, we don't know where that you are parents are. we heard earlier oftentimes the parents are deported and the children stay behind. there is that very disturbing news that the trump administration may just indefinitely hold families together and that's what people are really worried about. >> cal, are you hearing people talk specifically about i.c.e. there has been talk about whether i.c.e. should be abolished. do you hear people talking and buzzing about that. >> >> reporter: i am sorry, joy, say it one more time. >> anything specifically about i.c.e.? we know that i.c.e. has been the agency that's been out front in terms of deporting people, in terms of seizing control of immigrants. there has been some talk including some from some political figures that it should be abolished. are you hearing any of that talk about you are? >> reporter: absolutely.

look, when you talk about i.c.e. on a governmental level, it all sounds fine and well. when you talk about i.c.e. here in a place like this, it sounds more like the secret police that you would find in a middle eastern country. you have teachers here who i've spoken to who say their children are afraid. children are afraid when they come to these schools that their parents are going to be taken away from them. so the issue of i.c.e. here is a very real one because, again, it seems like i.c.e. to these people here is a thing that just not only gets in the way of daily life, but literally pulls people off the streets, puts them in jail, almost disappears them. you can hear people here very, very concerned about that. for them, for the people here, i.c.e. is not a political issue, it's a daily way of life issue. people here are afraid of i.c.e. it's something that they take very, very seriously, joy. >> cal, you and you were together in tornio at the military-style facility where young children were being held, mostly boys, some girls as well.

talk about the community and what you're hearing about what do people there know about the detainees that are so close to their community? do they feel like they are even getting information on who is in the community, who has been taken, what children are there? >> reporter: there is no trust from the people who live here, the people who are about to walk towards the border, there is zero trust between them and the federal government. people know what they're seeing on our air. people know what they heard from you and i. i have had people come up to me this morning thanking us for managing to make it into that camp and saying that that was the only information that they had. that camp really does for the people who live here in this area, it just sticks out like a sore thumb. it's something that is in the middle of the desert that people think is ridiculous that shouldn't exist. again, i want to stress this community has been living with their neighbors to the south in harmony since el paso was in existence. so for them it's just absolutely absurd that you would have that camp, they don't understand why

the children are there, they don't understand why the camp was built to begin with. we know, of course, that that camp was only built because we started moving tender age children around the country. without that it wouldn't have happened anyway. so there is no way, the lack of access, the lack of information from this community is something that people are very upset about and we will be hearing about it all day, joy. >> nbc's cal perry, great work. thank you very much. we will try to hear -- get some updates from you later on in the show. more "a.m. joy" after the break. i've always looked forward to what's next. and i'm still going for my best even though i live with a higher risk of stroke due to afib not caused by a heart valve problem. so if there's a better treatment than warfarin, i'm up for that. eliquis. eliquis is proven to reduce stroke risk better than warfarin. plus has significantly less major bleeding than warfarin. eliquis is fda-approved and has both. so what's next? seeing these guys. don't stop taking eliquis unless your doctor tells you to, as stopping increases your risk of having a stroke. eliquis can cause serious and in rare cases fatal bleeding.

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> . [ speaking foreign language ] [ speaking spanish ] good morning. welcome back to "a.m. joy." we are live from washington, d.c. where a major rally is getting under way to demand that the government reunite thousand fs migrant children separated from their families since donald trump's zero tolerance policy went into effect. thousands of protesters in more than 750 cities are expected to march in today's families belong together rallies as the future of at least 2,047 children still in government custody remains unclear. joining me now is garrett haake

who is on the ground. please tell us what you're seeing. >> reporter: joy, yeah, forgive the delay and forgive me shouting into the microphone. it is loud and hot and people are fired up to be here today. just before we came on the speakers started, they interrupted a very loud cheer, thousands of people in unison chanting vote them out. this is a political rally and people are fired up about this issue. just sort of wandering through the crowd the mix of groups represented here, there are jewish rights groups, there are lgbt groups here, there are immigrants rights groups here, spanish speaking and english speaking groups and even a pro life guy out here with a microphone shouting back and forth with people here. don't let anyone tell you the first amendment is dead. we are looking at probably a couple thousand people out here just as the program is starting to get under way. as i think i mentioned earlier today the sort of boldface names here are some of these celebrity speakers like lin-manuel

miranda, alicia keys will be here, but we do expect to hear from immigrant families both in english and spanish and i think that's going to be a powerful moment for people who have felt emotionally connected to this story, to this situation in a way that i have not seen in washington since the healthcare debate. that was the last thing where we saw people take this so personally and emotionally and come out with fierceness to want to speak their mind. just a psa for folks who are watching who are thinking about attending one of these rallies today, wear loose clothes, bring water, it is hot. joy? >> thank you very much, garrett. appreciate it. it is one of the hottest days of the year. let's go to nbc's blake mccoy, he is at the rally in new york city. give us a since of what you're seeing, blake. >> reporter: well, there is a rally on the move, joy. it started near city hall in lower manhattan, we are now crossing the brooklyn bridge into brooklyn. it's hard to get a sense of

crowd size when you are in the crowd, but easily, easily thousands of people. this is alexa from brooklyn. alexa, what made it so important for you to be here today? >> i care about families, i care about children. i think that all families that have been separated there needs to be a guarantee that they will be reunited and adds my shirt says [ speaking spanish ] . nobody is illegal in stolen land. >> that's alexa from brooklyn who is volunteering to help with this march today. joy, there is a sense here in new york, i have heard several people say, hey, we live in a bubble, we know we're preaching to the crowd here in new york. they want this to be visible to the rest of the country, the people who live in middle america or trump country. that way they see this is a united force coming to support these immigrants. >> all right. thank you very much. i really appreciate you, blake. we're going to come back into the studio and check back in with our folks out there at these rallies a little bit later. joining knee now here at the

table, maria. i think it's an important point, the people feeling like they're speaking to the choir. when you hear the phone calls between the parents and the kids where the child is weeping and the parent is trying not to cry, it breaks your heart, but we understand that on the other side of this in trump country they are watching their specific media that's telling them these kids are at summer camp and that the first lady is hugging them and they're all fine and that this is all just being hyped up. there is no way to cross that divide if people don't feel compassion. >> right, but i do think that there are challenges that they expected that when they stopped the separation order, the executive order that this was going to go away and it's clearly not going away. if anything it's going to be one of the election issues in november and you're going to see a lot of republican mothers not liking what's happening. i have to say we did the event last week and there were republicans in that crowd, there were mothers in that crowd and it was -- this is overstepping

what we actually -- we actually want. i think a lot of americans are also incredibly embarrassed on what the world stage must be thinking about us, they realize that not only have we overstepped the line but we have lost a lot of moral authority. when i heard that piece that audio that you did earlier of that child, it was heart breaking for me because it sounded like the voice of my son. my son speaks spanish and that is -- it resonates deeply not to be able to reach in and comfort that person, that little boy, is just -- it really hurts. >> no, it does. and i know that both of you have young children. i this week put on my instagram is picture of my kids when they were little. i immediately go right back to that. my kids are older but i go right back to them as a little kid. it's very hard for me to believe and to accept, even though i know it is true, that people can see and hear that audio and say, too bad, they shouldn't have come here, but people do say that. >> here is the thing, joy, this rally that we're seeing, this day of action it took 13 days to put together but we have to

remember what happened that led to those 13 days. it was the audio, it was the visual, right, the -- when we saw pictures of the little girl from honduras two years old watching her mom being patted down by the border police and her crying. it was that is actually what turned the tide because just like what maria was saying, they thought -- this administration thought -- because, once again, they had dehumanized this group so much so they thought by separating these kids from their parents we wouldn't care, it wouldn't be an issue. once we started seeing the visual and hearing the audio, thank goodness for national media highlighting this, that's when people said enough is enough, this is not okay. this is why he wrote the executive order even though it's kind of bs, the executive order, right, more a memo and it changed a little bit, but we still need to come out just like we're doing today and not stop all the way to november for the election. >> and i guess it's a question of who the audience is. i think that people who are obviously moved by compassion

that is part of the audience. the audience is also congress. one of the things that really was disturbing when we were talking about it is the fact that it does seem like the administration according to her and according the to former i.c.e. alert they had the capability of returning the kids to the parents they don't want to return them because this is punitive, because this is meant to be a demonstration that we will hurt you if you try to seek asylum. >> and because it plays sadly to a portion of the base. they are tough. i want to remind folks that when conor lamb ran in that special election in pennsylvania it was right after the republicans gave every single american that tax cut. it didn't work. so when they realized that the tax narrative wasn't going to work they ran 14,000 anti-immigrant ads in primaries because they recognized that that galvanizes the base. this is such a political charade that you are traumatizing families, you are at the same time decalibrating our ability

to show leadership globally because you don't have any other policy and shame on them. >> to the very point you make, i'm going to come right back to you, careen, but let's play donald trump doing this. this is the way he talks to his base. this is what they want to hear about these immigrants. >> it's so simple, it's called, i'm sorry, you can't come in, you have to go in through a legal process. it's really bad when it's a criminal and we have plenty of them coming into the country this way and they use the children. they use these young children for their own benefit. >> i've been to tornillo. you've been to tornillo. these are little kids. these are not criminals and gang members. >> in cages, innocent. innocent kids in cages. we have to remember how donald trump started his campaign, by calling mexicans rapists and drug dealers. so this is his line. this is what he believes is going to work. he actually wants to double down on this type of horrible

immigration kind of rhetoric and what we're seeing. so there's nothing new to donald trump he's just taking it to the next level. if you look across the country as to where these events are happening, they are happening in red states as well as blue states. that matters when we are talking about the audience, talking about the suburban moms who we are going to have to go after for november and make sure that they keep -- keep talking about this issue and we have to keep fighting about this issue, too. this is what they're doing, the republicans are doubling down, they can't run on tax cuts, we know what they were trying to do with healthcare so this is it, immigration. >> and steven miller is still in the white house, you are now hearing things like denaturalization of existing immigrants, you are now hearing things like family detention indefinitely, things like making it so that you cannot make an asylum claim if you do not first make an asylum claim in mexico meaning that basically all central american migrants would

be barred and people being given the choice do you want your kid? then you need to renounce your asylum claim. >> what kind of parents, parents who love and care, they are the ones who are traversing three and four countries because they're trying to save their children's lives. we created the asylum rules internationally. we literally crafted them. when the president says follow the law, they're following the law, we are breaking the law. when we were in tornillo we started hearing stories that border patrol agents are telling people seeking asylum that the country is full. that by law you are breaking it. you actually have to allow the person to cross. we have to process them. but imagine, though, if one day we are going to need our neighbors. >> yeah. >> imagine if they are going to need our neighbors. we are not providing not only good will, we are basically saying we are going to go after your most vulnerable. when we go after the most vulnerable that means everybody else is off the table. most recently individuals that -- children that are receiving government benefits who are u.s. americans and citizens, if their parents are

legal residents even though they are not receiving government assistance they are trying to question whether or not they can become citizens. this is a strategy, a sort of ethnic cleansing and we are in the beginning of it and it's important that people are marching that americans are present. if we do not stand up for a government we are basically giving them a carte blanche on identifying who can be american. >> voter latino and moveon.org. let's talk about what the strategy is going to oing to be. both of you ladies are stre got at strategerie. >> how do you hold hearings? they're still holding hearings on e-mails. there's not going to be hearings that republicans are doing. what is the strategy to ensure that these parents get their children back? what should people out there be looking for strategic cloo he. >> i say we take a playbook of

healthcare reform. when they wanted to take away the healthcare the american people broke the switchboard. then we fill town halls. a lot of the republicans will be holding town halls, democrats will be holding democrat town halls this summer. say we demand for you to reunion my over 2,000 children. that is simple. then we make sure we demand when we make those calls to congress we demand a congressional oversight hearing. we have to make sure that nielsen, sessions, lloyd and azure all get their stories straight because right now they are saying that they don't understand what one agency done with the other. these are american tax dollars at work. i want to make sure that they are in front of congress under oath so they are not perjure themselves. >> what happens if the trump administration simply violates the court order to return the children? >> then we have to take it to the voting -- to the ballot box. we have to take it to november and we have to vote them out. i mean, that really is the only answer is, yes, do what we did for aca, the skinny repeal

especially we were able to stop that with mccain and collins and ra could you ski voting down on that, but we have to also put it on the line as an issue for election, for this year's election. >> should this be connected to the supreme court issue because that's another issue in which the people are out there and it's not just on abortion, you are talking about civil rights, you are talking about voting rights is on the table, affirmative action is on the table. >> gun laws. >> and this is on the table, indefinite detention could come before the court. >> mitch mcconnell basically said that obama could not fill his supreme court seat until after the american people voted. >> right. >> or that hillary for four years. remember, members of the united states senate republicans said that hoda koillary clinton woul be permitted to seat a justice for four years. >> i want to go by mitch mcconnell's rules, he set them. let us vote in november and come january let's seat the supreme court justice. he is trying to get that goal post to benefit them.

93 million americans did not vote last election. >> it's the nonvoters. we are going to make these ladies come back. i know they want to get down to the match, but careen and maria will be back with us. let's take a listen to the families belong together rally in washington. this is jocelyn, she is an asylum seeker from brazil. >> i wanted to join this fight to get my son back and for mothers who are suffering because they were away from their children. >> we are with you. >> we are with you. >> we are with you. >> thank you. >> we see you. we love you. we see you. we love you. we see you. we love you. we see you. we love you. we see you. we love you. [ speaking spanish ]

>> my lawyer at loss a mericas helped me get released on bond and my son and i were finally reunited on june 5th of this year. ed by a woman, who governed thousands... ...commanded armies... ...yielded to no one. when i found you in my dna, i learned where my strength comes from. my name is courtney mckinney, and this is my ancestrydna story. now with 2 times more geographic detail than other dna tests. order your kit at ancestrydna.com. looking for a hotel that fits... whoooo. ...your budget? tripadvisor now searches over... ...200 sites to find you the... ...hotel you want at the lowest price. grazi, gino! find a price that fits. tripadvisor.

you are not alone and if you ever feel alone, just think of me and all the other people in the world that want to help you and your family get back together. i know that if we met we would

be great friends and we could talk about what you are going through and make you feel better. your friend, addison. >> this is a letter to all the children in the detention centers. do not think of america as a cruel place where people hate you and put you in jail. there are people, good people, who are going to help you find your families again. family separation is not right and we will keep fighting until each and every one of you is back in your families again. that is a promise. my father came to america at age 17 with $400 in his pocket. now he has his own business, a wife, my sister and i, a nice house in a beautiful neighborhood and is a proud

american citizen. so don't give up hope. anything is possible. with love, nola. >> -- and you can't be with your family, that is so messed up. i would miss my family, too. i would miss his hugs and playing with my sister. i wish i could give you a big hug. i know that kids should be with families. my family will keep fighting to make sure that happens. love, lucy. >> wow. welcome back to "a.m. joy." right now people across the country are rallying against donald trump's cruel immigration policies and demanding that children be reunited with their families. joining me now is niera hack and

others. that was very difficult to get through not crying. four little kids just read letters to kids in detention who were separated from their parents, we got to three of them because we were doing that live. i think the last one might be lucy who is seven, nola who is ten, addison who is ten and olivia who is nine. that's lovely, these kids wrote letters to children in detention. how sad is that? >> but they are being taught empathy. what we've been seeing around the country for people who are standing up and saying, of course you should -- if a parent commits a crime and you bring a child along with you on a crime the child has to suffer also. that is a distinct lack of empathy for another human being. i'm finding a lot of hope in this rally and the language and the people being together and this way we are coming together, solidarity that we will -- we

can head in a better direction. >> can you reiterate for people just -- you know, people talk about illegal entry as a crime. this is a misdemeanor and also presenting yourself for asylum is not illegal. >> joy, the first thing i will say in reaction to these children is this is a defining moment for this country. today's march is a march for the soul of our nation and these children, the fact that they are -- they are themselves being transformed just as the children who are being incarcerated with being transformed. seeking asylum, seeking safety in our country has been part of the bedrock of our nation and it is their right to do so under u.s. law and international law and this administration is trying to criminalize and prosecute them for something they have a right to do. >> we are going to come back to the table for just one second. let's listen to john lewis who is speaking at the atlanta rally for families belong together.

>> -- downtown atlanta in front of the federal building. you are sending a message. we are sick and tired of seeing little children, seeing little babies taken from their mothers. it's not right. it's not fair. and history will not be kind to us. as a nation and as a people we can do better. much better. when i listened to those tapes and i heard little children crying it made me cry. so i marched in washington with members of congress down to the white house. don't give up. don't give in. keep marching.

some of you know when i was very young, had all of my hair and a few pounds lighter, there were people that said we would never get a civil rights act or a voting rights act, but we marched. we were arrested, we were jailed, we were beaten, but we didn't give up. we must not give up. i will tell you one thing that we all can do, we all can do is continue to appear in our beloved communities. we are one family. we are one family. we all live in the same house, not just the american house, but the world house. we are all brothers and sisters. it doesn't matter if we are black or white, asian, latino,

we are all one people. maybe our fore mothers and forefathers all came to this land in different ships, but we are all in the same boat now. there is no such thing as an illegal human being. we all are human. and we must teach people in power that we will not be satisfied with the order of things. i'm not satisfied. there are hundreds of members of congress that are not satisfied. there are many candidates running that are not satisfied. for each and every one of you when the election day comes around we have to go out and vote like we've never voted befor

before. >> vote. vote. vote. vote. vote. vote. vote. vote. >> look, you know, i've been talking for some time and getting in trouble. it's time for some of us to get in good trouble, necessary trouble. in the final analysis we may have to turn america upside down to set it right side up. but whatever we do, do it in an orderly, peaceful and nonviolent fashion. never, never, ever hate, for hate is too heavy a burden to

bear. the way of love is a much better way and we're going to win this victory. the world a crying with us. they think we have lost our way, but we are going to show the world that we're better. >> all right. that was the great john lewis who has been doing civil rights work since he was 22 years old, he was the youngest speaker at the march on washington, he is speaking today in atlanta at one of the rallies called families belong together protesting the trump administration policy of forcibly separating children from their parents, of inn cars rating children, of caging children, of taking babies who were breast-feeding away from their moms and putting them in detention. understand this is not summer camp, this err in detention. i have seen it with my own eyes, taking children away from their parents and putting them in detention, it's hard to believe we're talking about the united states of america, but we are. we're talking about children,

three year olds, standing on a table having to climb on a table and represent themselves on court. arguably that's america, but it is. hillary clinton recently asked about what the right would like to talk about, which is civility, be nice to them, she said give me a break. give me a break. what is more uncivil and cruel than taking children away? it should be met with resolve and strength and if some of that comes across as a little uncivil, well, children's lives are at stake, their futures are at stake. >> what's so amazing about these marches and i completely agree with you, this is a battle for the soul of this country and it's so great that people are out on the streets not only protesting and mobilizing, but this conversation needs to be taken over and framed by women of color and mothers. it needs to stop being seen as a national security issue where we have old white men telling us about ms-13. we have dehumanized the president and this administration immigrants to the point where we think speaking asylum and immigration is a

crime. it's not a crime or illegal to seek asylum at america's borders. so i think it's amazing what's happening because we need to frame this -- this is a human rights story. this isn't a criminal story. i think it's great that people are out there and we need more mothers and women of color out there organizing and framing this conversation. it belongs to us. >> i'm sitting a at table here with four women of color from all backgrounds sitting here. this is america. this is why people come here because this is sort of the magic that my parents saw who came from -- this is the magic of it, but this is precisely the thing that donald trump seems to believe his base despises and that he can use as a wedge to get reelected and to get more republicans elected. that's a pretty cynical view of his own base. >> it's actually a very cynical view of what america is right now, what america will become. we know that in the next 10 or 15 years america will look more shades of brown than it will shades of white.

that is very scary to some people who have in you will lie never interacted with another human being and what donald trump is playing on is sharing images of fear, making every person who is brown with a tattoo look like a gang member versus somebody expressing a similar to white people who wear tattoos, expressing freedom of expression. and the fact that these are the images that are being put out for communities to react to is what's problematic. >> can you talk quickly just for a second, i know you haven't worked for the state department, houz does this look when the rest of the world sees the american people have to be in the street to protest taking breast-feeding babies away from their moms in the united states. >> i think we have overidealized what the united states has been to other countries. other countries are familiar with this type of activism them sefls, they have had to do that to maintain their own democracy or to get to being a democracy in the developing world. it does humanize us in a way.

look, we also have to be active in protecting and maintaining our democracy. we have been lazy in years past, people have not exercised the most basic thing you are supposed to do as a citizen which is vote. we are now not only marching in the streets but we are doing so in a nonviolent way. that should give hope to the rest of the world. >> what hope do the families have in terms of the legal avenues of getting the kids back? >> i think there is a great concern about whether the families will all be able to be united. we're waiting for a decision in the flores case. we just filed 16 foias to say what is exactly happening. the courts will block this. i'm hopeful for the american people for voters. >> if they don't? >> america has a history of separating families, we are not ignore the race factor in this. slavery, native americans, this is not going to happen in 2018 on our watch. we will do whatever we can. we must. >> i love introducing these

panels today. this is america. >> this is america. >> this is what it should be. more "a.m. joy" coming up. live from washington, d.c. where the families belong together rally is under way along with hundreds more cities jags wide. . . . . . . . . >> we let those children know we are fighting for them. we all have choices to make, choices that will define us as individuals and as a nation, especially those people working in immigration right now. i'm talking -- ome back gary, who's already won three cars, two motorcycles, a boat, and an r.v. i would not want to pay that insurance bill. [ ding ] -oh, i have progressive, so i just bundled everything with my home insurance. saved me a ton of money. -love you, gary! -you don't have to buzz in. it's not a question, gary. on march 1, 1810 -- [ ding ] -frédéric chopin. -collapsing in 226 -- [ ding ] -the colossus of rhodes. -[ sighs ] louise dustmann -- [ ding ] -brahms' "lullaby," or "wiegenlied." -when will it end? [ ding ] -not today, ron.

-- who protects the immigrant. and gives courage to t-- >> right now faith leaders are addressing the growing crowd at the rally in washington, d.c., one of the hundreds of rallies across the country demanding an end to trump's zero tolerance policy on immigration. we have reporters spread out at the rallies from coast to coast. nbc's blake mccoy is on the ground in new york city, nbc's cal perry is in el paso, texas and msnbc correspondent mariana

ottensio. >> reporter: this is a rally that started in lower manhattan outside of city hall and has turned into march across the brooklyn bridge. this crowd expands the entire length of the brooklyn bridge, thousands if not 10,000 people out here standing up for immigration. this is all happening, you know, here in lower manhattan in the shadow of the statue of liberty and ellis island. the people we have spoken to say -- they know they're speaking in an echo chamber in new york city but they believe so firmly that trump's immigration policies are changing the fabric of america and against everything that that statue and ellis island stand for that they can't let it continue any longer and they want their voices heard. they're marching from lower manhattan across the brooklyn bridge into brooklyn where there will be a rally. >> thank you very much, blake. blake, can you tell us where does this terminate? is there going to be a second rally wherever they're going to?

>> reporter: that's exactly right. in a square in brooklyn there is going to be a rally. there were two points, there was the meeting point and then there is a rally point in brooklyn. >> blake, thank you very much. let's now go to cal perry in el paso, texas. give us an update where where you are, cal. >> reporter: hey, joy, we are at the border. just over that wall is juarez. we are still in el paso. this march has gotten larger and larger by the minute. if you take a look at the storefronts that one this whole area -- i'm sorry -- you take a look at the storefronts that run this area, people are coming out of these stores, joining this march. the goal was to get here to the border and obviously make the point that these camp cities, these tent cities are just not acceptable to the people that are here. i'm going to try to -- excuse me, sir. sir, do you have a minute? no. all right. some people don't want to talk, joy, for obvious reasons, other people do want to talk. the message here is that the administration's policy of

detaining these children separating them from their families especially when you talk to this community is just unacceptable. this is a community that believes the children that are in that tent city just about 40 minutes to the south of here are children that belong in this community. lots of signs saying that people witch those children would just be released back into this community, that this community would take care of them. keep in mind, joy, this is a community that deals with juarez every day. people cross back and forth every day for school and work. the idea that i.c.e. -- we were talking a lot about i.c.e. -- the example that people would be separated from their families is just ridiculous. do you have a minute to chat? >> yes, but i want you to sign this. >> i can't sign it right now. why are you here? >> because i don't like trump's policy and children in cages and then i think he's cruel and i think we should let the people go. >> reporter: a lot of people are talking about i.c.e.

what is i.c.e. like for this community? >> i think it sucks. >> reporter: yeah. okay. there you go, joy. >> are you with msnbc? >> reporter: yes, ma'am. when you talk about i.c.e. it sucks, when you hear from people they're viewed here -- when you talk to people like the secret police, this he pull people out of their families and out of schools and that's a way of life here. >> i can tell you from being down there how integral that community is with juarez on the other side of the couple. i met an american couple going down to juarez to go to the dentist. it happens all the time. can you quickly talk about the integration of those two communities because that would make sense as to why you have so many people who are outpouring down there. >> reporter: this is a community -- you just look at these stores, this is a community that survives on its relationship with mexico. this is a community that survives -- i mean, we saw people crossing back and forth every day going to school. one of the problems that people will have today is that foot bridge has been shut down out of

an abundance of caution, out of an abundance of national security. people here are tired about hearing about national security. it doesn't make any sense. el paso is a safe city. juarez has its problems, mexico has an election going on, but for the people in this community who cross back and forth every day it just doesn't make any sense because the relationship, joy, it truly symbiotic. >> cal perry, thank you very much. let's go to mariana who is at the rally in los angeles. what's going on where you are? >> reporter: not much just yet, joy. this rally is set to start in about two hours from now, but you can see they're also setting the stage for speakers like senator camilkamala harris, ther of los angeles also expected here. the start point of this rally is city hall over here to my left and they are expecting almost 10,000 people they tell me, joy. i spoke to one of the organizers and he says they are asking

people to rally for three things, to stop the deportations, to stop the separations and to stop what he called the trump administration's zero humanity policy. he says that the outrage and the indignation at what's happening has reached a breaking point in this community. and he's asking people who will be out here rallying today to also do two things, to register to vote, that will be made available for folks here, but also to donate to the organizations that are helping reunify these families because as we have been discussing throughout the morning, according to the organizers and according to these parents it is not happening fast enough. joy? >> and very quickly, we talk about i.c.e. and there is now a growing sort of call for i.c.e. to be abolished among some people who say that they are cruel and the way that they've created immigrants, but you actually have interviewed some people who are border security officers themselves and i wonder if some of these communities where they live in the community, where they are in the community as well, what are they telling you? is this a policy that is popular

among people who are in the border security who are on the ground doing this job? >> i was em pedestribedded witht week for several days and many of them tell me they are also human beings, too, they are also parents. they see the desperation in these mothers when they have to take in a woman who is six, eight months pregnant trying to give her children a better life, they can't help but feel for them. this is a policy that is really tugging at the heart strings of many of the officials, of many of the workers inside these facilities and at the border as well. ironically, i spoke to one of my contacts at the border patrol yesterday and i said, what do you think about all of these abolished i.c.e. chants that we are hearing about throughout the nation? and he said, actually it puts the focus somewhere else, it let's us do our job in a smoother way because we still have to take in all the people that are coming here and deal with the smugglers, but at the same time they need i.c.e. in

order to hand over the folks that need to go into detention. so it's almost a vicious cycle and it's why you have so many lawmakers and people out here calling for comprehensive immigration reform. >> you seem to come right back to that every single time and we still get nowhere with it. >> exactly. >> we'll see, maybe this time. thank you very much. really appreciate it. coming up, more live coverage of the families belong together rallies here in washington and around the country. stay with us. >> dear friend, i wish i could meet you and help you to follow your dreams because that is something no one can ever take away from you. the pain you feel today is the strength you will need to carry on and keep going. it may feel hard, but you can do it. i know you can. >> this is a letter to all the children in the detention centers. do not think of america as a cruel place where people hate you and put you in jail. there are people, good people, who are going to help you find your families again. sometimes, bipolar i disorder

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and here is the good news, just as all those other wrong racist decisions have been overturned, this one will be as well. >> that is reverend tracy blackman senior pastor at christ the king in missouri. you may remember her as the interview that we had that was briefly on our air, snatched off our air in charlottesville when she was in the middle of that melee of white nationalists attacking clergy, she was one of those clergy who was in the middle of that in sharlgsville, virginia. she is one of the speakers today, she's the speaker that is going to be right before lin-manuel miranda of "hamilton" fame who will be a part of this protest. thousands of people gathered in hundreds of cities today with

one message, people migrant families together. back with me are two of the organizers. i feel like i'm keeping you guys from the rally but i appreciate you both being. if this is both a demonstration and display of outrage, it's an important opportunity for people to gather in order to change the policy. >> that's right. i think it's basically a steady drum beat recognizing the only way the american public doesn't forget is to constantly work the phones and make sure we're present. hearing this all the way through november, that's how we're going to see a policy change. congress has to act. >> i'm just hearing from our producers here that rally organizers are saying 30,000 gathered in new york. 30,000 in d.c. >> when you watch this, and you think about the last 18 months, where there's been massive protests, there really is more that brings us together than

divides us. this is not just a brown issue. this is all of our issues. i wrote an article just yesterday that got published about how my parents came here. and they came -- they left haiti, the economic situation was dire. they left there, went to martinique where i was born. then went to france. they couldn't come here fredirey from haiti. they took a couple steps but they came here for the same reasons these kids aparents are bringing their kids here. to get away from the horrors and violence and go for the american dream. at that time my parents were told if you go to america, you will get your dream. you will have a better life for your kids. and i think this is something that we have to remember. this is everybody who should be touched by this. >> i think it's why donald trump's grandfather came from bavaria. >> grandpa trump. >> yes. >> and i think something we have to underscore, because many of us have left broken systems,

when our families arrive into this country, we're so grateful. we are so grateful that we're given a shot. that we can actually do something in the land of opportunity, that we give everything for this country. we recognize what broken means and the fact that we are losing that narrative, that we are forgetting our roots, what actually makes us entrepreneurial, our dna, what makes this country special is the fact that people have traversed to come here. the moment they stand on american soil, they feel american. that's not what we're translating right now. >> and a country that was based on enslavement, and also native americans. people from those populations and groups have overcome what could be deep resentment toward the united states. >> you talk about the people of color in the military serving in this country who are still contributing to the country in every conceivable way, whether

they came as immigrants or in slave ships, that's what america is about. but you now have apparently in the belief system of one of the political parties, that that is the an thinks sis tithesis of w base wants. they appear to say no more nonwhite immigration. >> that's the problem. if we take a step back, this is what we fought against in world war ii. this is what veterans were fighting against. this is why the veterans are fighting. that's why you see them saying this is not the america i know. we are hearing the rumblings of what was on the eve of germany. we have to make sure we're present and don't allow it. there are folks basically seeing that whistle. there's the last breath of america i call them. the majority of americans do not feel that way. >> there were propaganda videos in the 40s against fascism.

let's listen in for a second here. >> we're not going to stop until they can sing to their kids again. ♪ ♪ have your mother's name when you came into the world you cried ♪ ♪ and it broke my heart ♪ i'm dedicating every day to you ♪ domestic life was never quite my style when you smile you knock me out ♪ ♪ i fall apart and i thought i was so smart ♪ ♪ you will come of age with our young nation ♪ ♪ we'll bleed and fight for you ♪ ♪ we'll make it right for you ♪ if we lay a strong enough

foundation we'll pass it onto you ♪ we'll give the world to you and you'll blow our soul away someday someday ♪ ♪ >> i think we're having some technical difficulties with this song. my kids are probably at home screaming because this is their ultimate musical is "hamilton". that's just how powerful to me this moment is. it is attracting people whether they are famous or whether they are not famous. there were little kids who came and lread letters to kids in detention. we've had members of ere faith. we had a rabbi. the head of the united methodist church. we had the president of --

>> it's ecumenical with the way the fight for health care was. >> it's a culmination of many things in this administration. in the last 19 months it's been massive protests upon massive protests because of what we're seeing from this white house and because republicans and congress are doing nothing to stop him, and it's exhausting, but people are still fighting and it's majority of people. you didn't get majority of the vote. majority of people are saying no to this. if we can take that energy and take it to the polls and really send a message in november, then we can really see how the last 19 months or this first two years of his term has really kind of end kind of some of that horrible, the horrible components of that. and, yeah. i think it's hard to not watch what's been going on and not feel like your heart just kind of going down to your knees and not feel any of this, and you

guys were talking about white supremacy. i mean, look, when you have a president in the white house who is talking about he wants to have people from norway, right, calling countries that are predominantly brown and black as whole countries and says it proudly, and has no qualms about it, of course this is where we're going to be headed. >> and steven miller was a men tee of richard spencer himself. you know, in the white house still there, and -- >> and he plays his cards well. he is in the shadows of everything. but he's in the presence here. he and john kelly, i would say are responsible for the separation of children. we had this conversation a year ago where john kelly, he floated this idea as a deterrent when he was head of homeland security. the hearts in there are hard rock solidly poor. they do not care. they basically believe that there is a certain vision of what america should look like in the future, and the problem is that ship has sailed.

my children are four and five years old, joy. they are the first generation of a majority minority in this country. let's prepare so we demonstrate the leadership we need in order for those children -- all our american children can take the reigns of leadership. there's so many people out now marching. it doesn't matter if it's a red or blue state. they're saying this is the america i envision. what you're doing in the white house doesn't represent my values. >> we know that vision of america was embodied in the body of barack obama which the tissue ejection of donald trump in a lot of his followers against the visceral nature toward his negativeness. it's about fear people have of a changing america and feeling they're not at the center of it. put that aside. at the same time that new america doesn't show up in midterms. that new america walks away.

60% of american voters eligible don't vote in midterms. and they most lie -- >> people of color. >> everybody is looking at 2014. it was an anonly. it was the first time in 70 years, the lowest participation rate. a lot of people -- we have to not only overregister because people want to purge our vote, but we also have to make sure we make the information accessible. we provide rides to our friends and are present and saying this is the most patriotic thing you can do in this country. the fact that you're going to participate. and i'm going to help you. >> they go together. we know voter suppression will be massive. we know that russians are still interfering in the election. give people some hope at getting out there and your vote will still count. >> i think it does count. i have to go back to the senate race in alabama. there was voter depression there, and it was a state that

we were not supposed to win. we hadn't won a senate seat there in 25 years, and they were able to get people of color out. they were able to put -- >> that's because they called every single voter. >> and they -- >> every voter. >> and they did everything -- >> not the usual voters. every voter and said we need you to be present. >> if nonvoters participated in the election, everything would change. you change everything. that's my soap box. get on it. >> sing my jam. >> thank you very much. both of you for hanging out with me. i know you want to get to the rally. that's our show for today. alex witt, alex, my girl. >> i'm so glad to see you're in the middle of all of it. we'll pick up where you left off. good day to all of you. i'm alex witt. 9 certainly a day of protest.